Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitarist Denies Manslaughter Charge In Death Of Pedestrian

Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, a former Red Hot Chili Peppers member who also has played with Pearl Jam, pleaded not guilty through his attorney Thursday to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge in the death of a pedestrian.

Authorities say Klinghoffer, 44, was driving an SUV and making a left turn in Alhambra, California, just east of Los Angeles on March 18 when he hit 47-year-old Israel Sanchez, who was walking in a crosswalk.

Sanchez was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Klinghoffer was charged on Aug. 29 with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, a misdemeanor that can bring a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. He is not charged with having any violent intent, only with a failure to yield. His lawyer, Blair Berk, entered the plea for him in an Alhambra courtroom. Berk declined to comment after the hearing.

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